Читать книгу Criminology For Dummies - Steven Briggs - Страница 89

Manslaughter refers to the non-intentional killing of another person, but the killer still has some moral responsibility for the death. For example, a severely intoxicated driver who runs a red light while talking on his cellphone probably doesn’t intend to crash his car and kill his passenger. But the state can still call his conduct reckless, which justifies a manslaughter charge. (See Chapter 2 for an explanation of the difference between intentional and reckless conduct.)

Often in a homicide in which the intent to kill is difficult to prove, prosecutors choose to negotiate a guilty plea to a charge of manslaughter. A sentence for manslaughter typically ranges from 1 to 15 years.

As you may have guessed, manslaughter appears very similar to second-degree murder. In fact, they’re essentially the same. Some states have first- and second-degree murder, and some states have murder and manslaughter.